Posted by on 2/14/2022 to
Your mind is the most valuable tool you’ll ever have, and when it comes to using other tools, your mind is still the most valuable tool you’ll ever have. Probably your hands too. Since we are speaking of good tools, the AR-15 is another worth mentioning. It is a magnificent machine and one of the best rifles ever made. Improve both your mind and your AR-15 with classes to help one tool use the other.
If you are new to the gun world, or even the AR-15 world, a beginner's class can be an excellent choice. These classes are full of great information and even someone who has owned an AR-15 for years might learn something. What should you hope to learn in a class about your AR-15? First and foremost safety. Being able to use your AR-15 safely is the most important thing you can do, especially if you want to continue to use it in the future. Firearm safety has important rules, which you should have memorized, or better yet know in your bones. There is a reason why safety gets so much attention, and the reason should be obvious.
If you want to use your guns well, it would help to know the fundamentals and these are among the other things you should learn in a beginners class. There are certain basic things you can do to improve your experience. There are ways to improve your aim. There are time-tested methods that have shown themselves to be great ways to do certain things, like how to clean your rifle or even changing out a magazine. Take a class and you will learn things that will make your experience with firearms that much better, and give you a deeper understanding of what to do and why you do it.
Learn how to shoot accurately. Learn breathing and aiming techniques. Buttstock adjustment and length of pull. Learn how to zero your rifle. Practice and improve your aim. Estimate range. Read and gauge wind conditions. Learn about sighting options and how to install and use them. These might be taught in a beginners class or an intermediate class; it depends. They are all things that are worthwhile to learn.
Do you own a gun primarily for self and home defense? There are classes specifically designed for you and your needs. There are in-home courses and outside of home courses, and general defensive courses. These courses will teach you the knowledge and skills required to safely and responsibly protect you and your home and should include legal considerations and requirements. It is important to have the right mindset in some of these situations and these classes can enlighten you to the information it is wise to consider during these.
There are more advanced classes that skip the basics and get right into the advanced stuff. These techniques can include trigger control, recoil control, multiple targets, moving targets, how to shoot on the move, and ambidextrous shooting. You can learn how to use different slings such as one-point, two-point, and three-point, as well as differing variations of these. Shooting behind cover, shooting from unconventional positions, multiple shooters, changing positions, and ‘slicing the pie,’ which is a tactical technique.
You can also take a class that will allow you to discreetly carry your pistol around with you whenever you like with a concealed carry permit class. These classes teach you safe handling techniques while in public. One of the best things you might learn here is how to think through situations so that you are acting in the best way possible, to think logically, and weigh the differing factors, to correctly assess each situation to make the best choices. You should learn de-escalation and that going to your firearm will probably not be the first thing you do in a situation.
There are classes that introduce you to competitive shooting to help you improve your game. Safety is very important in this realm and these classes will go over the more complex safety rules of competitive shooting, which are extensive. There is training on the different types of targets and stages you might encounter. Get comfortable with competitive shooting before you actually shoot competitively, that way you keep the inevitable butterflies in your stomach to a minimum on game day.
If you want to learn squad techniques there are some great advanced classes out there. These might be some of the most fun you can get from a class. Engage targets from turns and pivots. Engage from various positions like standing, kneeling, and prone. Tactical carbine courses can actually teach you something above and beyond just knowing how to use your gun. The classes vary in what they teach, having different skills they are offering, but one thing they all share is that a student in this class will learn some advanced techniques with their AR-15. You will basically be learning military and law enforcement techniques like assault team positioning and room clearing. Some of these courses want you to bring a pistol as well as a rifle, so you can use the right tool for the right job.
As you might imagine, the basic classes are easy to find; just check with your local gun store or firing range. For the more advanced courses you may have to look a little harder, pay a bit more, and travel farther as well. But when it comes to improving the tools in your arsenal, it can be worth the investment.